KPL
The Ministry of Education and Sports (MoES), in collaboration with the Australian Government through the BEQUAL programme, hosted the TTC–PESS bi-annual meeting in Vientiane on 31 March and 1 April.
A total of 86 delegates attended, including representatives from the Department of Teacher Education (DTE), Department of General Education (DGE), Department of Planning (DOP), MoES Division for the Advancement of Women, Mothers and Children (MDAW), the Australian Embassy, development partners, Provincial Education and Sports Services (PESS), Teacher Training Colleges (TTCs), and the BEQUAL team.
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The meeting focused on the school-based Continuing Professional Development (CPD) system, with participants sharing lessons from recent implementation and preparing detailed plans for the next two and a half years as BEQUAL moves into its Phase 2 extension.
Mr Phetmany Silathmina, Deputy Director General of DTE, remarked at the opening of the workshop: “With the support of the Australian Government, we have established a school-based CPD system that is relevant to teachers’ needs, systematic, flexible and inclusive of stakeholders at all levels. The first Internal Pedagogical Support (IPS) teams were selected in March 2023 to provide teachers with regular, classroom-focused support across 30 target districts in seven provinces. Under the leadership of DTE, TTCs have provided capacity building, while DESBs lead on needs assessment and monitoring. This meeting brings all partners together to review progress, share lessons from semester one of the 2025–26 school year, and agree practical steps to scale up and strengthen implementation over the next two and a half years.”
Ms Rebecca McHugh, BEQUAL Team Leader representing the Australian Embassy, reinforced the partnership approach: “In the face of teacher shortages and declining enrolment in some areas, sustained professional support is key to upskilling teachers and improving learning. Through the CPD system, the Ministry and partners are supporting thousands of teachers in disadvantaged areas with regular advice, classroom visits, co-teaching, feedback and follow-up guidance. The model emphasises local relevance, with training and resources adapted to the challenges teachers face in multilingual classrooms and diverse learning environments. Australia values its close collaboration with MoES to make this possible.”
Presentations and reports at the meeting showed clear and practical results. Teachers reported greater confidence, classroom observations indicated improved teaching practices, and schools observed stronger student participation and socio-emotional learning following regular CPD activities. During the first semester of the 2025–26 school year, IPS teams facilitated 33,609 CPD activities across 30 BEQUAL target districts, supporting 6,930 primary teachers, of whom 56 percent were female. IPS teams also received 9,728 support visits from TTCs and DESBs, while nearly 1,699 classroom observations were jointly conducted by IPS, TTC and DESB teams.
The meeting also highlighted growing support from development partners for the CPD approach, signalling momentum for nationwide expansion beyond Australian funding.
Participants discussed priorities for the Phase 2 extension, including strengthened research and learning, as well as a stronger focus on gender equality and women’s advancement. The TTC–PESS annual workplan for 2026–27 was endorsed, and detailed implementation plans for April to September 2026 were finalised.
Mr. Phetmany Silathmina noted:”Regular, school-based CPD has helped teachers connect lessons to students’ lives and improve classroom practice over recent semesters. The scale of activities and the growing number of partners supporting the CPD system demonstrate that we can move from target districts to wider implementation across diverse communities.”
Ms Rebecca McHugh added:”The data show steady improvements in classroom practice and student engagement. Australia is proud to stand with the Ministry as we scale a flexible CPD system that reaches teachers in remote areas and strengthens learning outcomes for children across the Lao PDR.”
Next steps will focus on maintaining momentum. Target TTCs and PESS will use the endorsed workplans to continue planning and delivering school-based CPD in their catchment areas. MoES and development partners will continue close coordination to scale the CPD system nationwide and align resources to avoid duplication. Key actions include strengthening CPD data collection, rolling out teaching and learning resources such as Teacher Support Packs and Teacher Development Videos, and embedding all Phase 2 research and learning activities into TTC–PESS workplans.
Mr Phetmany Silathmina concluded: “This meeting demonstrates strong Australia–MoES collaboration to improve teaching quality. Australia provides technical and financial support and practical experience, while MoES leads implementation to ensure the system meets the needs of classrooms across all communities in the Lao PDR. Together, we are expanding from target districts to nationwide implementation, supporting teachers where they work and improving learning outcomes for children across the country.”
